Rail-fastening.



No. 706,999. Patented Aug. 12, I902.

w. P. PATRICK;

RAIL FASTENING.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1902.)

(No Model.)

1' ITE FFI E.

WILLIAM P. PATRICK, OF IWIOUNDSVILLE, NEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO ALLEN C. SOROGGINS, JR., AND JAMES E. HOOTON, OF

MOUNDSVILLE, WVEST VIRGINIA. I

RAlb-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,999, dated August 12, 1902.

Application filed March 24, 1902.

T0 allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. PATRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moundsville, in the county of Marshall and State of Test Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Rail-Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-fastenings; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective device of this character which can be inexpensively made and readily assembled and which when in place is adapted to firmly hold the rails either at or between the joints.

My improved rail-fastening includes a pair of jaws adapted to grip a rail and a support for said jaws, a wedge adapted to enter between the jaws and to put them in their effective positions for gripping a rail, and a key to prevent the withdrawal of the wedge, and the support for the jaws may be eithera rail or a chair, and when the jaws operate in conjunction with the chair their upper ends or heads are enlarged or widened to present,- in effect, fish-plates for abutting against the opposite sides of adjoining rails, so as to'hold the joint against spreading.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railway-track, showing my improved fastening in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same, taken at one side of a cross-tie. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fastening parts removed from their support. f

Like characters refer to like figures of the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 5 indicates a cross-tie, which may be made of metal or wood, as desired, and which has near its opposite ends recesses or openings .6 to receive the jaws 7 of the rail-fastenings. The inner and outer walls of the vertical recesses or openings fi converge toward the upper face of the tie, so as-to allow a rocking motion of the jaws 7 when they are put into their effective positions to grip a rail. The jaws 7 may be parts in all the erating notches 10. The inner faces of the diverge away from each other.

Serial N0. 99,746. (No model.)

of any suitable material, and they are separate or independent from each other, their upper ends having complemental notches 8,

adapted to receive the base of the rail 9, the

operate the jaws as to put them in firm clamping engagement with the rail. The tie 5 has an opening or perforation transverse to the vertical recess 6, which is adapted to receive the wedge 5, the wedge being adapted to enter between the jaws 7 and to fit into the coops jaws 7 ,-bel0w the notches 10, are in contact, while said faces above said notches slightly When, therefore, the wedge is driven forward, its opposite inclined faces will cause the jaws to rock, the upper ends of the jaws being moved toward each other, so that they can be put into solid engagement with the web of the rail. Any suitable tool can be employed for driving the wedge 11 into place, and it will be understood that as it is advanced the lower ends of the jaws 7 will be moved slightly away from each other. I provide means to prevent the Withdrawal of the wedge and will now describe the means illustrated for this purpose.

The numeral 12 indicates a key, which is shown as being bifurcated and which is adapted to straddle the inner reduced end of thewedge, said inner reduced end having its opposite faces notched, as at 13, to receive the branches of the bifurcated key 12. When the wedge is driven into place, the notches 13 will havebeen carried beyond one of the side faces of the tie,'so that the key 12 can be introduced into place.

By employing a bifurcated key 12 to prevent the withdrawal of the locking-wedge 11 and fitting the legs or branches of said. key into notches in the opposite sides of the reduced end of said wedge I am enabled to bring the body and legs of said bifurcated key into contact with the adjacent surface of the support or cross-tie 5, thereby providing a wide surface contact between said parts by which lateral motion of the Wedgekey is positively prevented.

As in practice the key 12 for the wedge is subjected to considerable jar which might tend to cause it to jump from its seat, I provide means for positively holding it in place, and such means are shown as consisting of a pin 14, adapted to project through alined perforations in the branches of the bifurcated key.

It will be seen that the construction is simple and highly efficient, and the parts, which may be made of suitable materials, can be readily assembled, and when in their working positions they are held firmly in place and they solidly clamp the rails and prevent them from spreading. The construction also avoids the necessity of bolts and appliances of a similar nature for holding the rails in place. The tie constitutes a suitable support for the fastening means; but I have shown the latter in connection with a chair 15, the latter being either of wood or metal and being situated under the joint between the rail 9 and the adjoining rail 16, the chair being adapted to uphold the rails at their joint. There will be two chairs of course, one at each side of the track, and fastening means, such as are hereinbefore described,are used in connection with each chair, and as the fastening means employed with the chair are the same as that hereinbefore described, except so far as the upper ends of the jaws 7 are concerned, I do not deem it necessary to repeat the description of the same. The jaws 7 when employed in connection with the chairs 15 have enlarged upper ends or heads 17, adapted to clamp the rails at theirjoints and constitute, in effect, fish-plates, so as to hold the rails properly at their joints.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the rails are held firmly at their joints or between the same without the necessity of employing bolts and nuts, as is the general custom.

While I have shown either a tie or a chair for sustaining the different parts of the device, this is not essential, for other means may be employed for this purpose.

The several parts comprising the fastening may be of steel, while the tie and chair may be of metal, or other materials, if desired, can be used.

Having described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In a rail-fastener, a pair of jaws adapted to 'grip a rail, a support for said jaws, a wedge adapted to enter between the jaws and to put them in their efiective position, and the reduced end of the wedge having notches in its opposite sides, and a bifurcated key, the branches of which are adapted to enter said notches.

2. In a rail-fastener, a pair of jaws adapted to grip a rail, a support having a vertical recess to receive said jaws and the inner and outerfaces of the walls of the recesses being inclined and converging toward the top of the support, and a wedge adapted to enter between the jaws and to put them in their effective position.

8. In a rail-fastener, a pair of jaws adapted to grip a rail, a supportfor said jaws, awedge adapted to enter between the jaws and to operate the same, the reduced end of the wedge having notches at its opposite sides, a bifun cated key, the branches of which are adapted to be seated in said notches, and said branches having alined perforations, and a pin adapted to enter said perforations.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM P. PATRICK. Witnesses:

A. D. WILLIAMS, 0. A. WEAVER, Jr. 

